Fire quickly put out at Evanston Hospital

A fire in a construction area at Evanston Hospital caused "minimal" damage and was extinguished in about 10 minutes this afternoon, according to an Evanston Fire Department official at the scene.

No one was injured but some outpatients and employees who heard the fire alarm left the building, according to hospital spokeswoman Amy Ferguson. The hospital remains fully operational.

The fire started at about 2:50 p.m. on the north side of the hospital at 2650 Ridge Ave., where a construction project is under way, the official said. Some insulation at the construction site started to burn and some windows at the hospital were damaged, the official said. The cause is under investigation, he said.

Investigators said tonight that the fire was caused by welding sparks.

A quarter-mile section of Ridge Avenue was closed from Central Avenue north.